A really good sandwich relies on just the right combination of fresh ingredients.

“For us, I always say a good sandwich starts from the bottom to the top, with good bread and good ingredients,” said Chef John Certo II of Andy’s Flour Power Café & Bakery in Panama City Beach. “We use homemade bread at Flour Power. Don’t cut corners on ingredients. We cook our own roast beef, roast our own turkey breast and use pit smoked ham.”

The most popular sandwich at Andy’s is the Cuban.

“They say the bread is so crisp on the outside, soft on the inside,” Certo said. “We do our own pork for that, our own Cuban rub, and roast it.”

The pork is rubbed with a blend of spices and herbs, such as kosher salt, cracked pepper, a little cumin and a “couple of other secrets,” he said. The pork is then slow roasted in the oven at 375 or 400 degrees (depending on the piece of pork) for the first 20 minutes “to get it really crisp on the outside, and then we lower the temperature for it to come up real low and slow,” Certo said.

To make your own at home, Certo suggests buying a boneless pork loin, putting a rub on it and baking it for 40 to 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

“Our Cuban also has all the other traditional things on it, fresh ham, Genoa salami, Swiss cheese, sliced kosher dill pickles and a little bit of mustard, and we press it on the panini,” he said.

For the Reuben, Certo starts with homemade rye bread, which also is for sale from the bakery.

“I’m a New York City boy, so we have to make a good Reuben,” he said. “Originally, I was a butcher by trade. We use a very lean corned beef. You can still have a lot of marble, but don’t want heavy fat on the outside because that gets real stringy.”

Swiss cheese is put on both sides of the bread to seal in the juices from the sauerkraut and homemade Thousand Island dressing, his grandmother’s recipe.

“Don’t overdo the sauerkraut,” Certo warned. “We put our sauerkraut under the cheese before we press it. A lot of people put it on top and all that does is steam it into the bread and make it soggy.”

Certo suggests buying a high quality deli meat, such as Boar’s Head, or getting it from the butcher department and boiling it with seasonings.

“Maybe you do a corned beef with cabbage and sausage, and use the rest for a corned beef sandwich,” Certo said. “You also need to serve it with some good accompaniments — homemade Greek style potato salad, kettle chips or fresh fruits, classic accompaniments that finish it off just right.”

“When we make sandwiches here we always think about what are some delicious ingredients and combine them all together,” Chef Mike Meek said. “Our Big Apple Turkey and Hair of the Dog sandwiches finish out our top three sellers. The Big Apple has honey roasted turkey breast, spinach, provolone, fresh apple slices, and honey-mustard dressing on our focaccia. The Hair of the Dog has our seasoned chicken, bacon, homemade pimento, ranch and sriracha hot sauce on the focaccia. Both are extremely delicious and definitely are not your everyday sandwiches.”

Meek shared his recipe “right from the vault” for the focaccia at Liza’s Kitchen, topped with kosher salt, Extra Virgin Olive Oil and dried ground oregano.

“When the bread comes out still hot, I recommend cutting it into pieces and dipping it in mascarpone cheese,” he said. “You can add bacon to it, too, and it wouldn’t be bad either, just saying.”

Yi Lynne Weber’s first introduced her Muffaletta, a recipe from her mother, Lee, at Somethin’s Cookin’ in Panama City. She now serves it as one of the specials, determined by customers’ requests, on her E. Street Café Food Truck.

“We serve it on Ciabatta rolls on the truck,” she said. “I know it’s supposed to be a round sourdough, but I like taking it a step back closer to the Italian roots.”

E. Street Café Food Truck will be serving Muffalettas and other global comfort food during this week’s Friday Fest in downtown Panama City.

In addition to its own original creations, Somethin’s Cookin’ also still serves the Muffaletta on Ciabatta.

“Some people even like it on our braided bread,” said owner Hannelore Holland, a native of Germany.

For the bistro’s Reuben, Holland starts with a slice of thin Bavarian Farmers Rye from German Bread Haus in Fort Lauderdale, topped with a slice of Swiss, a quarter pound of thinly sliced Boar’s Head Corned Beef, her sauerkraut, homemade Thousand Island, another slice of Swiss and a final piece of rye. The sandwich is then put on the panini press until it is nice and golden. Somethin’s Cookin’ also makes a Rachel version with Boar’s Head Black Forest Turkey Breast instead of corned beef.

“I rinse the sauerkraut, so it takes the stringent taste out,” said Holland, who starts with a package of Boar’s Head sauerkraut. “I use onions, juniper berries and apples. In Bavaria, they cook their sauerkraut with beer, but I don’t.”

Instead, Holland adds a sweet Riesling to the sauerkraut. Her recipe, which takes about 20 minutes from start to finish, results in a mild sauerkraut that is not too overpowering or sour. This mixes well with the bistro’s flavorful Thousand Island dressing.

“The warmth and comfort you experience when taking a bite reminds you of a freshly baked apple pie on a cool, crisp autumn day,” Lawrence said.

Focaccia Bread

1 quart hot water

¼ cup dry active yeast

3.75 pounds high-gluten flour

1 tablespoon kosher salt, 1/8 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

Kosher salt, EVOO and dried ground oregano for bread topping

Using an electric mixer with the dough hook, combine the water and yeast in the bowl and mix till yeast dissolves. Add the EVOO, salt and high-gluten flour and mix for about 6 minutes. When done mixing, allow to rise for about 20 minutes.

Portion the dough into 5.5 ounce portions and roll into balls. Allow to proof another 10 minutes. Flatten out the dough into a circle using your fingertips. Generously brush the rounds with EVOO, season with salt, then the oregano, and bake at 375 degrees in a convection oven for 5 to 8 minutes. The tops will begin to get brown as well as the bottoms of the bread. Cool or eat immediately.

For Olive Mix: Combine giardiniera, green olives, black olives, celery, garlic and capers in food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a bowl and add Italian seasoning, olive oil, green onions and black pepper. Store in a covered container for several hours (it’s better the next day).

To assemble the sandwich: Split the bread open and warm in oven 1-2 minutes. Spread olive mix on bottom piece of bread and layer on mortadella, provolone, salami, mozzarella, and capicola ham. Spread more olive mix on top piece of bread and press sandwich lightly.

This sandwich is even better when wrapped in plastic wrap and the olive mix is allowed to soak into the bread for a little bit, which makes it perfect for picnics.

Source: Yi Lynne Weber, E. Street Cafe

Harvest Apple

½ crisp apple (such as Granny Smith)

1 tablespoon sugar

4 teaspoons butter

½ teaspoons lemon juice

¼ teaspoons cinnamon

1 tablespoon brown sugar

½ teaspoon corn starch

2 teaspoons water

5 tablespoons cream cheese

6 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon powdered sugar

4 slices Pepperidge Farm Raisin Cinnamon Swirl bread

Peel and core apples. Slice into ¼-inch wedges; slice again into 1-inch pieces. Melt 2 teaspoons butter and white sugar over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves and mixture is bubbly. Increase heat to medium, add apples, lemon juice and cinnamon and cook until apples have softened, about 5-6 minutes. Stir in brown sugar. Mix corn starch and water with a whisk, add to apples, increase heat to medium high and cook until sauce has thickened. Let mixture cool. Beat cream cheese and 6 tablespoons powdered sugar until light and creamy. Butter one side of each slice of bread with remaining butter. Spread cream cheese on unbuttered sides of two slices of bread, top with apple mixture, top with bread. Cook in a pre-heated nonstick pan on medium-high heat for about 1-2 minutes per side or until golden brown. Top with remaining powdered sugar.

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